Wednesday 11:30 P.M.
Paul tapped on Brian’s door. He heard the soft, “Yeah.” Paul entered. Brian had the lights off and his window open to the soft night. Moonlight streamed into the room.
Paul asked, “You okay?”
“I had a chance to talk with Shane a little bit. I wished he’d have told me about the coach.”
“It can be tough when it looks like all your dreams are being shattered.”
“Yeah, I’d like to be at the first game of the first gay pro baseball player who comes out.”
“Me, too,” Paul said. “Mrs. Talucci promised to take care of the problem with Shane’s coach.”
Brian smiled. “I’d never cross her.”
In their room, after he talked with Ben about Brian and Shane, his husband said, “There’s other news. I think the course of true love has not run true for Jeff.”
“What happened?”
“Yesterday’s sort of, not really date?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he was moping around here before dinner. I asked what was wrong. He said he saw Ardis after school having ice-cream with Arvin.”
“How does that mean they aren’t dating?”
“Well, you know how it is in junior high. Jeff and Ardis weren’t officially, really, committed to each other, exclusively dating, and I guess for whatever reason exclusively sharing ice cream after school, in their world, has become the definition of true love. So it’s over.”
“After one not really much of a date.”
“I’m afraid so.”
In bed as he pulled Ben into his arms, he said, “I love you so much.”
Ben said, “I love you too.”